The present invention relates to an elevator consisting of an elevator car movable in an elevator shaft and a counterweight, wherein the elevator car and the counterweight are connected by way of a support means guided over redirecting rollers and wherein a drive drives the elevator car and the counterweight.
An elevator installation is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,799 in which an elevator car and a counterweight are movable in an elevator shaft along guide rails. The elevator car and the counterweight are connected by means of cables, wherein a 2:1 cable guidance with underslinging of the elevator car is provided. The cable ends are each arranged at the upper end of the elevator shaft. A mechanical linear drive is arranged on the counterweight. A stationary cogged belt is provided as a drive means and is stretched between a shaft pit and a shaft head. The cogged belt loops around a gearwheel of the mechanical linear drive, wherein the drive climbs along the stationary belt.
A disadvantage of this known equipment is that high production costs arise with the separate supporting means and drive means. In addition, the elevator functions only reliably with a correctly tightened cogged belt. Moreover, the problem of energy feed to the counterweight has to be solved by drag cables.